Best of

the Twin Cities

Best Music Video

"It's Good to Be Alive" by Mark Mallman

The madness of Mark Mallman has long festered into acts of creative absurdity, such as using a robot to rock Icehouse from 6.4 miles away, or hacking brainwave monitors to compose music in his sleep. The Marathon Man has revolutionized how he delivers his music over and over again. Framed in this context, shooting a music video entirely via Snapchat doesn’t seem so ambitious. But when you watch the fastidiously emoji-ed video for “It’s Good to Be Alive,” it’s hard not to be awed by Mallman’s latest bout of ingenuity. Whether he’s face-swapping with statues at Mia or knocking back whiskey with his pink-shirted digital girlfriend, Mallman immerses himself in the low-tech app to create a world that’s familiar while still being as wacky as conceivable. Watch first for the yuks but replay to marvel at how much finger work must’ve gone into the animation.